NORFOLK — The installation of a high-speed fiber optic internet service in Norfolk is delayed and now expected to be complete this winter.
Issues with third-party permitting have caused delays to the installation of Metronet internet in the city, said Kris Smith, the company’s vice president of city relations.
“We are moving along a little slower than we would have liked,” Smith said.
Smith said the company mainly works in the city right-of-way — public land where utility companies can access their systems. Smith said Norfolk has been easy to work with during the permitting process. However, the company has experienced more difficulty with other third-party permits. For example, Smith said the company needs permits for construction to cross a railroad. She declined to identify the entities that required the permits.
Smith said it’s not uncommon for the internet provider to run into permitting issues with third parties.
City officials announced plans for Metronet to build a Norfolk network in 2021. Construction started in November of that year in Norfolk’s Five Points neighborhood and initially was expected to take two to three years. Construction has since spread out from Five Points in a circle. Smith said work is ongoing around Hampton Boulevard and Larchmont. Crews are currently conducting preliminary work in Ghent, and construction should start in that direction in about 60 to 90 days, according to Smith.
Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot
Workers install Metronet infrastructure is installed in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, on Aug. 14, 2025. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)
It’s not the first time the project has been behind. The internet service’s activation was first delayed from spring 2022 until early 2023 — also because of permitting issues.
Consumers in Norfolk have long sought an alternative internet provider to Cox Communications, which they said overcharged for cable and internet services due to lack of competition. The city received so many complaints that it even devoted a webpage to frequently asked questions about the issue.
Metronet now offers internet plans with download speeds ranging from 150 megabits per second to five gigabits per second, Smith said. According to the Metronet website, plans in Five Points begin at $60 a month for 500 megabits per second.
To learn if Metronet is available at your address, visit metronet.com/va/norfolk.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com